Red-Crowned Turtle Smuggling: Mishrilal Mahor Gets Bail; Was Absconding Since 2017; Arrested In March 2026

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): District and Sessions Court, Bhopal, granted bail to Mishrilal Mahor in the harvesting and smuggling of red-crowned roofed turtles. The court issued the order on Monday.

Mishrilal Mahor was arrested in March 2026 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), New Delhi, in connection with the smuggling of highly protected red-crowned roofed turtles and Indian softshell turtles, which were poached from the Chambal River.

In 2017, the Deputy Conservator of Forests, in charge of the Tiger Strike Force in Sagar, busted an organised wildlife ring. Mishrilal was named alongside several key co-conspirators in a major complaint before the Chief Judicial Magistrate. Since 2017, Mishrilal has been absconding.

The prosecution said that the network focused primarily on the illegal harvesting and trafficking of endangered freshwater turtle species.

This included the highly protected red-crowned roofed turtles and Indian softshell turtles, which are heavily poached from the Chambal River.

The turtles were captured locally by poachers, collected at transit points, and then systematically smuggled to West Bengal.

From there, the network routed them illegally across the border into Southeast Asia, especially Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and China for the exotic pet trade and traditional medicine.

Advocate Deepak Bundele, who appeared on behalf of Mishrilal, said, Co-accused Ajay Korku and Rajnikant were granted bail. So, the court has given bail to Mishrilal Mahore on Rs 50,000 surety.